This site is community-supported. We may earn a commission (at no extra cost) when you buy through our links.

Venetian White

Venetian White

Alternate Names

Venetian ceruse

(Lead White and Spar or Baryte - Barium Sulfate)

Pigment Description

Venetian white is lead white, and Venetian white in particular is closely related to the horror stories of people using lead white, PW1 as a cosmetic. Apparently the Venetian variety of ceruse or lead white was thought at the time to be a superior quality and was marketed as a face whitener, which of course had ghastly results and in some cases led to death. More on that may be found here. According to Wikipedia, the same Venetian white which was used in cosmetics was also used by painters at the time, and was thought to be high quality.

Centuries later, in the mid-1800s, George Field wrote of "Venetian White," which was a blend of lead white (lead carbonate) with barite. Taking inspiration from this 19th century version, Natural pigments offers a Venetian White as a mix of lead white with barite. Source here.

Natural Pigments has also been involved in lightfastness testing for oil colors. Though not much can be definitively said in regard to the topic in question, some preliminary research from Natural Pigments/ Rublev suggested that barite may cause some darkening in certain contexts, however how that interacts with lead white specifically is unclear.

For more information, Stack Lead White and the page on PW1 contain additional details.

Resources

Venetian White pigment data from David G. Myers, The Color of Art Pigment Database, Artiscreation.com

Stats

Lightfastness

Excellent

Lead white is known to yellow. Though more testing needs to be done, Golden's lightfastness testing on mixing whites in oils showed that lead may have an adverse affect on some pigments. The supplier may also matter.

Toxicity

Toxic

Lead is toxic. There are extremely serious hazards for pigments containing lead as well as paints. We are not toxicologists so we suggest consulting third party research as well as manufacturer MSDS. Also see Monona Rossol's research available upon request here for more information on pigments with lead. Artiscreation assigns this pigment a "C", meaning "\Hazardous, use appropriate precautions for handling toxic substances, especially if working with the dry powder; Do not ingest; Avoid dust & spray." IMPORTANT: The proper precautions for working with lead white go beyond what we can cover here, but please be advised that the toxicity is very serious and lead can be even absorbed through the skin. Do not breathe it, do not eat it, and do not let it sit on your skin. Special decontamination is also needed. Please consult the relevant health and safety authorities.

Dry Pigments listing Venetian White

DISCLAIMER: Please note that we are not experts in health and safety and we are not toxicologists, please consult the proper experts. We are not liable for any issues that may arise from the use of our website or its contents. The information contained in this site is provided without warranty or guarantee of any kind. We do not necessarily endorse any other website that are linked from our site. For any important pigment specs, please reference the manufacturer details. If you discover errors or omissions, please reach out through our contact form. Thank you.

Sign up for our newsletter

We value your privacy and won't share your email address.
Paint List Logo
This is an independent paint review site for artists that is powered by affiliate links. That means that we may make commissions on purchases that you make at no extra cost to you.
Disclaimer: This website does not make any warranties or guarantees about the completeness, reliability, and accuracy of this information. Any action you take upon the information you find on this website is strictly at your own risk. We will not be liable for any losses and/or damages in connection with the use of our website.